spur

spur

Pronunciation: ⁄spəː⁄

noun

·              1a device with a small spike or a spiked wheel that is worn on a rider’s heel and used for urging a horse forward.

·    a horny spike on the back of the leg of a cock or male game bird, used in fighting.

·    a steel point fastened to the leg of a gamecock.

·    Medicine a short pointed growth or process on a part of the body.

·              2a thing that prompts or encourages someone; an incentive:

wars act as a spur to practical invention

·              3a thing that projects or branches off from a main body, in particular:

·    a projection from a mountain or mountain range:

it’s an easy walk up the spur that leads to the summit

·    a short branch road or railway line.

·    Botany a slender tubular projection from the base of a flower, e.g. a honeysuckle or orchid, typically containing nectar.

·    a short fruit-bearing side shoot.

·              4a small, single-pointed support for ceramic ware in a kiln.

verb (spurs, spurring, spurred)

[with object]

·              1urge (a horse) forward by digging one’s spurs into its sides:

she spurred her horse towards the hedge

·    give an incentive or encouragement to (someone):

her sons' passion for computer games spurred her on to set up a software shop

·    promote the development of; stimulate:

governments cut interest rates to spur demand

·              2prune in (a side shoot of a plant) so as to form a spur close to the stem:

spur back the lateral shoots